The Dillon tribune., 1887-05-27
WHAT MIGHT eE DONE.
4 n"sGest'on 's to What Might BE Dons
With Long Timc Convicts.

4 Suggestion .as to What 1g,u,,% N. v,
With Long Tin,c Convicts.
Or. Seaman, late chief Of staff Of the
bIackwclis Island hospital and peniten.
Cary, spoke upon the problem Of convict
LABOR III his recent address before tho
Meti,co. i1egal society. Tic argues in favor
OF the English system Of employing long
sentence prisoners on great public works.
such as larbor md fortifcation making.
An cnort is being made in another quar-
yer 20 introduce transportation 70 Alaska.
tsot there Ii u third alternative, suggested
ny some very commonplace facts, here
submitted for consideration
Society is, perhaps unnecessarily, af-
nictcsi by having to bear two enormous
burdens, costly, dcmoralizing nnd oppres.
sive. These are tl) the maintenance Of
criminals, anil q the maintenance of
widows and orphans left destitute BY
''accidents.' mean. here particularly,
the families of miners killed by coalpit
explosions. which occur SO frequently.
NOW, the miner is probably tho worthiest
WORKING citizen in the commonwealth.
For our good he submits not only to tre-
mendous toll, but to the sacrifice of sun
Light and the pure air cf heaven, and
cheerfully faces the risk Of being himself
among the percentage Of miners who
every year get killed, something like one
In thirty eight. We owe more to the
miner than we care 10 acknowledge.
On the other hand, the criminal for
fetts ordinary sympathy. Tho worst class,
criminals who have Just (unfortunately)
do<lged the hangman, society pronounces
un1lt to associate again with the commu.
nifty for long time, II ever, i. e., society
says they ore unfit to live III the world.
Yet VIC cxalt these malefactors to the
position Of state pensioners. we give them
palatfal residences. . costly staff Of liv-
cried servants, with all the resources Of
medical and sanitary science TO prolonR
their precious lives to the last possible
gasi>-all at the expense Of the honest,
law abiding, vlrtuous taxpayer. And the
coal getter? Well, We condemn him to
ballishrnent into the bowels OF the earth,
with the tolerably sure and certain hope
Of an ''acci,lrntal' explosion, With loss u
life or limb, and the probable pauperiza.
tion of widows and orphans to follow.
Suppose, by way Of experimental re-
form. our all wise legislature were to Sc
lect the life sentence convicts of the most
worthless anl rcpulsivc type. and single
ont also the most tl:.nStn.s mines. Sup
tN"sC euCJ NCIc ~ PtitES tIIt iotiIscI III Nus
latter, say, for ten years. daily labor
II. in the mysterious workings ut PrOvi
tIenct., IN explosion wcr: to bc,tave us o
these Our erring hrcth1 cn--well, WI
should rejoice that tho calamity Sad no
ended the lives Of cur honest. iudu.trlor,,
miners, who raise their families rs goot
citizens On the Other hand, the saving
in cost Of prisons wo"Ia go far to insure
the safety Of our worthy miners by pro
v;ding better plcvcntivcs Of accidents. ,
Only u few years ago boat load Of con
v!cts were upset and drowned Oh n Nortl
Carolina river. 1t was sad, very, though
we have not heard Of any serious damag
TO society or the constitution in conse
qucncs Gcotfrey Qua:!:s in New forl
Post.